In June, the ATS joined the American Medical Association and over 20 other medical organization in an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit urging the court to reserve a Texas court decision in Braidwood v. Becerra and restore no-cost preventative health service coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The ATS joined the American Medical Association and more than 20 other national medical organizations in describing the health benefits patients receive by having access to U.S. Preventative Services Taskforce-approved preventative services at no cost. The U.S. Preventative Services Taskforce has given an A or B letter grade to a wide range of preventative services – including respiratory services like lung cancer screening, latent TB screening in high-risk populations, tobacco use screening, and tobacco cessation – that under the ACA were required to be provided at no cost to patients.
However, Texas Judge Reed O’Connor ruled that requiring some preventative health services violated Braidwood Management copies religious freedom and that the U.S. Prevent Services Taskforce was not properly empaneled to make federally enforceable recommendations. Judge O’Connor’s decision sought to block the provision of no cost to the patient preventive services nationwide, but the U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit issued a temporary stay of the national ban until the Appeals court had the opportunity to review the case.